


Life of the Party

by sottovocexo



Category: Free Rein (TV)
Genre: Birthday, F/M, I Love You, Surprise Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23033053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sottovocexo/pseuds/sottovocexo
Summary: Zoe plans a surprise party for Pin at the stables fit for a duke. This idea came to mind on Freddy Carter's birthday. Obviously it took a few weeks to materialize. Enjoy!
Relationships: Marcus Greenbridge/Amelia "Mia" MacDonald, Peter "Pin" Hawthorne & Zoe Phillips, Peter "Pin" Hawthorne/Zoe Phillips
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

After the entire group--minus Pin--convened in the tack room, Zoe carefully closed the door behind her.

"What are we doing here, Zoe?" Mia drolled, crammed next to Marcus on the armchair. She rolled her eyes. "There's hardly enough room for all of us."

Zoe stood up straight and cleared her throat. "You are here," she announced, "because tomorrow is Pin's birthday. He's been working so hard for us at the stables, and I'm about to leave for Florida, so we need to plan something special!"

"A birthday party!" Becky gasped, shooting straight up off the couch. "I have so many great ideas, you're going to love them."

"Do they involve Ghost Pony?" Jade asked, one eyebrow raised. "Or simply unicorns?"

Becky sat back down, frowning. "...Neither."

Gaby forced a smile. "I'm sure any and all ideas are welcome." Zoe had encouraged Gaby to play nicer with Pony Squad recently, and she was trying. She really was. 

"Why doesn't he thrown his own party?" Mia sneered. "He's got a palace. Tons of money. What does he need us for?"

Becky snickered. "Someone's never had a surprise party before..."

Mia winced. "I have too, for my 16th in fact!... Well, it wasn't a surprise. And it wasn't on my actual birthday. Daddy didn't seem to remember... But it _was_ still a great party."

Marcus wrapped his arm around her, hugging her in closer. "There, there." She smiled.

"Where should we do this?" Gaby asked. "If we plan it here, he'll get too suspicious."

"And we're _not_ going back to the palace..." Becky shuddered.

"What about the beach?" Susie suggested. "He loves riding there with Elvis. But he'll never suspect a big bash down there!"

"I love it!" Zoe cheered. "Let's do it tonight, right before his birthday--he'll never see it coming then. Susie and Mia, you take decorating. Make it rain style on the shore! Marcus, you can do the heavy lifting of all the awesome decorations Mia's sure to buy."

"I've got a new card I'm dying to break in," Mia said with a smirk.

"Jade and Becky, you're in charge of food. Find Pin's favorite cake, his favorite snacks, and anything else you can think of. Make it fit for a duke!"

"We're on it," Jade said, exchanging a grin with Becky.

"And Gaby--"

"Anyone in there?" Pin called from the outside, the lock jostling and twisting. Everyone's eyes went wide. Zoe threw her arms up.

"Well, go placate him," Mia hissed.

She bolted outside and closed the door behind her quickly. " _Hey_ , boyfriend! Duke! Duke Pin! _Boyfriend_ Pin!"

"Why are you being weird?" Pin asked, chin raised in suspicion.

Zoe leaned back against the creaking barn door as everyone inside laughed quietly. "Just...fixing this door. This darn door. You know, it's been giving us trouble. Hear that squeaking?"

He narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Well, anyway," Zoe sighed, crossing her arms. "Don't you have important Duke things to be doing?"

Pin got the hint. "See you around, Zoe. Dad's making his specialty for dinner tonight if you want to come by."

She smiled, softening. "Sounds great," she said, her voice sweet, back to normal. She couldn't help it.

He kissed her on the cheek, squeezed her shoulder, and headed back to the stable offices.

Marcus pushed the door open while Zoe still had her back against it. "Coast clear?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered back. One by one, the gang slipped out of the tack room like clowns from a tiny car. Gaby was the last to leave.

"Very smooth," she said.

Zoe took in a deep breath. "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought."

"Pony Squad is on the case!" Becky said. "Don't worry about a thing."

"What about me?" Gaby asked. "I didn't get a job."

Zoe smirked. "It's because you have the most important job at all..."

Gaby liked hearing that. She always liked a challenge.


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner, Zoe insisted she and Pin go for a ride--but in the woods.

"The beach is so blase, don't you think?" Zoe said, swatting his idea away.

"Whatever you say," he said, laughing to himself, because Zoe always got her way.

They trotted along in the trees.

" _So_ , Pin... You don't...have anything planned...for your birthday, right?" Zoe asked, doing her best to play it cool.

Pin smirked. "You have something up your sleeves, don't you?"

She batted her lashes. "Oh, you know..."

Pin laughed and looked forward to whatever was in store.

Zoe's phone pinged. It was the Pony Squad group chat alerting her everything was set up down at the beach.

"Hey," Zoe chirped. "Let's head down to the beach!"

"I thought it was, quote, 'so blase'?"

"That was then, this is now."

"All right," he said, steering Elvis in the opposite direction. "Maybe we can still catch the sunset."

That was the plan.

\---

The smile that spread across Pin's face when he stopped at the beach was reward enough. Zoe felt like it was her birthday, not his.

It was everything she imagined for him. Dozens of balloons tied down with rocks, blowing in the ocean breeze. An old-fashioned radio blasting his favorite tunes. All their friends' horses lined up, neighing as he approached on Elvis.

Marcus, Mia, Susie, Jade and Becky waved in unison. "Hey, Pin!" they yelled.

"Anything special happening tomorrow?" Mia teased. Pin laughed and dismounted from Elvis.

"Happy birthday, mate," Marcus said, clapping Pin on the back.

Becky and Jade flanked Zoe. "Gaby isn't back yet!" Jade whispered.

"Definitely Ghost Pony's doing," Becky said.

"Guys, it's fine," Zoe said, hopping down from Raven and landing in the sand with a soft thud. "She had a big job. She'll be here. I know it."

"Thank you, Zoe," Pin said. "I knew you had something going on but...I didn't expect this."

Zoe took hold of his arm. "You deserve it. Go, enjoy yourself! They've got a fire going, tons of snacks. Have fun."

He smiled and walked off with Marcus.

The night was perfect. But it wasn't over yet.

Zoe looked around for Gaby. She really hoped she'd get there soon. Gaby was in charge of getting the gift. The most important part of the surprise.


	3. Chapter 3

Zoe was sitting at the sand dunes with Jade and Becky while watching Pin and Marcus skip stones on the water.

She smiled his way when Pin turned around and started walking toward her. Jade and Becky giggled and ran off.

"Take a walk with me," he said, holding out his hand. He helped her up.

"I'd love to," she said.

The wind was stronger along the shoreline as they walked.

"I really never thought we'd get here," Zoe said. She glanced over at him, his hair swaying in the wind, his eyes as clear as the ocean.

He laughed. "It is pretty unbelievable."

A tourist and a moody horse boy had become a rider and a duke. What was next for them? She wanted it to be a champion and a horse doctor. But it wasn't looking that way.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Zoe sat down, pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. "I’m scared...about what’s going to happen to us. I wanted today to be special because...what if it’s our last?”

He smiled and took a seat next to her on the sand. “You never do give up, do you?” She shook her head. “Luckily for you, neither do I. Zoe, I love you.”

She brightened. "You do? Like, that's official? I can repeat that?"

"From the beginning," he said quietly, like he still wasn't sure if he should say.

"Well, I love _you_ ," she emphasized as his smile mirrored hers. "And no matter what happens, I always will."

All too eager to mess with her friend, Gaby rode up on Major in the middle of their moment. "Hey, did somebody order a horse hospital?"

Pin's jaw dropped. "Zoe, what did you do?"

"Guess you'll have to catch me and find out!" She took off running in the sand and made it to Raven before Pin even found his feet.

\---

Alex was grinning at the start of a dirt lane, hands folded behind his back. It was too dark to see anything beyond the treeline.

"Where are we?" Pin asked atop Elvis. "Where are the others?"

"Already inside," Zoe told him.

Down a tree-lined path was an old brick building. It was bigger than all the rooms at the stable combined.

Gaby trotted past them. "You won't believe your eyes."

It was a hospital. His very own. It was the first field that belonged to Bright Fields, the one Sam was forced to sell a few years prior. There were dozens of stables in the back.

"We thought, since it was lying empty, we could help you fix it up," Zoe said. "Today, Gaby even talked it over with Holloway. They're committing some funds to restore it. They want it to be a hospital not just for Bright Fields, but for their riders too."

"I...don't know what to say," Pin said, flabbergasted.

"Don't you want to look inside?" she suggested.

When they opened the large doors, the rest of their friends cheered. Even Ted had joined. All Pin's equipment from the stables had been brought over by Gaby.

"Firefly is going to need her annual check-up in just a month," Mia said. "So you better be open by then."

"Looks like we're halfway there already," Pin said, turning to Zoe.

"By the time I get back from Florida, you're going to be the leading doctor on the coast," Zoe joked.

"I don't know how to thank you. This is everything."

" _This_ ," she corrected, "is the year we both get our dreams. I'm not really scared anymore. Not when we have so many special things ahead of us."


End file.
